Reinmar

Marine suggestion:

Just wanted to drop a note to anyone in the forum community who might be interested in joining us in this endeavor. Drop by the forum that zprophet set up and join in on the discussion and creation taking place there prior to actual creation of the sg when Going Rogue goes live. We hope to see you there.

Pharian SG Forum (look for us at the bottom of the page):
http://theroleplayingsyndicate.yuku.com/directory

Another good suggestion Mad_Noc.

I had an idea earlier based on heffroncm's post, but it would all depend upon how firmly zprophet is attached to the word "Empire". What if we replaced Empire with something else? That would be a major change of canon in zprophet's creation but I wanted to throw it out for consideration.

Here's how I think it could be explained:

All civilizations go through expansion periods; some are aggressive, some are non-aggressive, but they all involve pushing their borders out and acquiring territory. If we advance the Pharian timeline a bit, it could be argued that the Pharians of zprophet's fiction were alive during the Empire stage of Pharian peaceful expansion. Years have passed (hundreds? thousands?) and now the Pharian civilization has reached a point where they have enough territory and resources to ensure a high quality of life for all its citizens. Now they occupy themselves with exploration, assisting other civilizations to advance through their aggressive/expansive periods with minimal impact on the galactic community, and waging never-ending war on the Karaken Horde on behalf of that galactic community. As they are no longer an expanding "empire", they have likewise changed the name of their form of government. They still have the monarch they've always had but he now serves as a first among equals and a mediating voice on the Council of Twelve rather than an imperial sovereign.

Suggestions for words other than Empire:

Pharian Alliance (heffroncm's suggestion)
Pharian Commonwealth (heffroncm's suggestion)
Pharian Federation
Pharian Sovereignty (iffy on this one...still sounds imperialistic)
Pharian Ascendancy (sounds like the Temple is in charge of the government)
Pharian State
Pharian Expanse
Pharian Dynasty
Pharian Imperium (just another way to say Empire)
Pharian Republic
Pharian Star Consortium
Pharian League
Pharian Confederation*

*By definition the difference between a confederation and a federation is that the membership of the member states in a confederation is voluntary, while the membership in a federation is not.

All great suggestions heffroncm.

Personally, I don't care for Pharian Peace Corps...makes me think of young idealistic cat-people digging wells or planting crops in Sub-Saharan Africa (not that there's anything wrong with that...just not the thing that comes to mind when I think of the Pharians).

Pharian Alliance sounds good, but why would the Pharians, who are an Empire and have remained so after their first contact with numerous other alien species call themselves an Alliance just for human first contact. I agree 100% that Pharian Empire does sound aggressive and imply assimilation rather than cooperation...but I guess that is why I like it.

I like both the Commonwealth and Peacekeeper suggestions.

Regarding the name we register ourselves under within Paragon City's bureaucracy. I'm of the opinion that nothing is more bureaucratic than an Empire, with its numerous offices and departments. Would a diplomatic embassy even have the authority to register itself with a name that wasn't debated and decided long in advance of their arrival, light years away in the heart of the Pharian Empire? Long before any significant contact or study of humans had taken place. Perhaps one of the RP'ing opportunities we can capitalize upon is the intended "good nature" of the Pharians and the perceived "suspicions" of the humans due to cross-cultural communications or the lack thereof.

When you feel like it, brainstorm up some more ideas and I’ll try to do the same. Maybe we can get a long list of possible names going and get everyone involved in narrowing it down from there.

Let’s start up a discussion about names. In particular, names for the super group and potentially any specialized units within the SG.

zprophet has already told us that the Pharian military has 5 branches:

The Imperial Army
The Imperial Navy
The Titians (the armored branch of the Pharian military)
The Vengeful (a fully separate branch or attached to the army, navy and Titians?)
The Imperial Psionics Corps

As the super group will certainly have members from all of these organizations, in addition to non-military personnel, as well as representatives from the Pharian Temple of Light and Dark, the name must be inclusive of the Pharian race rather than a specific part of the military. Unless it is decided that the Pharian presence on Earth is a joint-command military unit (made up of all the branches) with some sort of non-military oversight (the diplomats and/or temple representatives).

Some ideas might be:

The Pharian Empire (a bit bland but inclusive of all Pharian peoples)

Another option might be a name that has significance to the Pharian people from their own history, mythology or religion; The Sons of Daknafine (with all due respect to those Pharian daughters out there) for example. Focusing on the dual nature of Pharian religion and life view (the Yin and Yang) and the Eastern flavor that it might bring to the group.

As a WH40k fanboi myself, I would love to see something like an Adeptus Astartes group with separate chapters, each with a colorful name and slight variation; much like the Space Marine/ Chaos Marine Legions. However, therein lays the slippery slope of intellectual property and the chance of twisting up fellow CoX gamers and forum members because of its use.

Pharian Rapid Response Force (the whole joint-command military thing I referenced earlier)

What are some of your ideas? I would love to hear them and as zprophet is the subject matter expert, jump in, keep us on the right track, and give us your ideas too. Ultimately, you will be leading this outfit and you have the controlling decision.

I've been in some "starship themed" bases and they can be very cool looking.

Maybe at some point in the future, if things take off, we could set up more than one base (2+ allied Pharian SG's) with one being the ship in space and the others as ground bases and/or an embassy. Just an idea.

Glad you like it. However, I saw a post on the thread that literally disappeared as I was reading it that offered another idea involving time travel and several other really cool ideas. I promise I haven’t been drinking….yet . It was there and then it was gone…hehe. As best I can recall, the poster (and I didn’t catch who it was) offered the following:

The Pharians are from the far future and some disastrous event forced them to travel back through time to their homeworld (Earth) to protect it.

That in no way does their idea justice, it was much better thought out and written than what I’ve been able to reproduce, but I only saw it for just a sec before it disappeared. I hope that it is just a bug on my system and its still there for others to see or the original poster will put it back up. Either way, it seemed like good stuff to me.

In other matters, I was bored and messing around with the character creator and tried to make a Pharian. I was going for some kind of military (templar?) sword using sort and tried to combine some tech looking armor with the feline head features. Not my best for sure but I figured I’d throw it up here for ya’ll to look at and maybe help me improve it. I tried to keep the majority of the metal in the costume black in the spirit of the obsidium you described.

Of the many options available to justify why the Pharians are on Earth, I think the cultural ambassador option might provide the most opportunity.

If they are here via wormhole, crashed ship, or some other reason along that vein, the group will be, in a fashion, limited to the technology and personnel who survived the event. If however, they are still in contact, possibly limited contact due to some reason or another, with the Empire then any and all of the culture, peoples and technology that you have created will be available for player use.

Perhaps something along these lines using Viseur’s suggestions...

Earth, wary of alien species after the encounters with the Rikti, has tentatively extended its hand in friendship to the Pharian Empire. There is hope on Earth that it will lead to a technology exchange, thereby allowing the non-superpowered militaries to better assist Vanguard against the Rikti, when next they show up. For the Pharian’s, they are intrigued by the overwhelming number of superpowered beings that exist on Earth; something they have never encountered in all their travels across the galaxy. There is excitement in the Pharian scientific community that, with proper study, this condition can be incorporated into Pharian culture.

This situation is not without its complications though. There are groups within the humans that are adamantly against the Pharians. Chanting such familiar Vanguard slogans such as, “Earth is for Humans” and “They are still among us”, they protest against any involvement with extra-terrestrial powers. Pointing to the fact that the Pharian’s are an “Empire”, they claim it is but a matter of time before they attempt to enslave all of Earth’s people.

The Pharians, understanding of the hardships faced on Earth during the series of Rikti invasions and not wanting to cause a panic, have limited the number of Pharians and other Empire races being sent to Earth. Those that are sent are instructed to help create a rapport with the people and governments of Earth and to that end assist them with whatever they can to show that the Pharians are not aggressive, nor do they seek to forcibly add Earth to the Empire.

@Sentinel - Prime

I can certainly tell that you’ve put a lot of thought and time in the creation of your alien civilization! Thanks for posting and allowing us a view of your creation. I have always been a huge fan of “themed-based” supergroups (especially alien and/or tech themed) and think that it would be great fun playing the world you’ve developed. So, in that regard, if I’m still playing when you create your supergroup, please save a spot for me.

I do have a couple of questions though:

1. Will all players need to be a Pharian or can they be of other Empire-Member species?

If so, how much control will you have over the creation of these other species? As this is your baby so to speak will you limit what “races” can be part of the Empire or will you allow whatever players can create (with limited oversight from you of course so as not to break the theme you’ve created).

2. What about the Karaken Hordes?

Is there / will there be a chance to make a villain group of these savage reptilian nasties? Sounds like a lot of fun, but I understand how hard it is to get one group up and running, not to mention two at the same time.

3. Will there be any archetypes, power combinations that don’t fit in your concept?

Or will it be as long as you can provide a plausible explanation for the ability (i.e. tech, psionic, etc.) they’ll be good to go?

4. Will there be any limitations on how characters will be named?

Should we use alien sounding names based on the language of the Pharian / Karaken / whatever species you allow or will “super hero” type names (i.e. Sunstorm, Shadowcrawler, Mr. Superguy, etc.) be allowed? (I’m voting for alien sounding names )

Again, thanks for sharing your creation and I look forward to hearing more and engaging in a conversation with you and the forum community about it.

Sincere Regards,
Reinmar (forum handle)
@Sentinel - Prime

Name: Blitzkrieg Korps

Currently Recruiting: Accepting new members, all archetypes, all levels

RP Level: RP-friendly

PvP Level: Casual (Arena / Zone)

Theme/Concept: Imagine an Earth whose history was exactly the same as our own until World War II. Now search your darkest fears and allow yourself to drift forward into your worst nightmare. What would the world be like today if the Third Reich had succeeded in its insane visions of global domination? This is the premise of the Blitzkrieg Korps, superheroes on their own twisted world but villains here on ours.

Earth is a dark, dreary cesspool plagued by over population, pollution, and deep seated problems. When the Reich discovered a means to travel to a parallel Earth (our own), they quickly sent their most powerful superhero, The Reichsman, and the Amerika Korps through the portal and into the unknown. They never returned.

For over twenty years the "Portal" has been kept under close guard with no unauthorized access allowed while a new group of men and women, the Blitzkrieg Korps, has been formed to once more venture into the unknown. It is their mission to find and rescue The Reichsman and the Amerika Korps and pave the way for the Reich to expand into this new world.

Activity: Membership is small and play times vary by day and work schedule; nevertheless members are active in-game daily.

Requirements for Membership: Must be a villain on Virtue and tie their character’s background into the theme/concept of the VG.

Leadership: Ubermensch Prime, Viktoria Wagner, Verschollen, Fall Gelb, Nacht Claw

In-Game Contact(s): @Reinmar, @Andromitus, @Ikaris Rama

Out-of-Game Contact(s): Reinmar

URL: Blitzkrieg Korps

Coalition(s): None currently

Name: Imperium of Man (a Warhammer 40K themed SG)

Currently Recruiting: Accepting new members, all classes / all levels

RP Level: RP-friendly

PvP Level: Casual (arena & zone)

Theme/Concept: Imperium of Man is a new super group based upon, and patterned after, the Warhammer 40K universe. All Imperium related characters are available for play; Imperial Guard Units, Space Marines, Sisters of Battle, the Inquisition, etc.

Activity: As this is a new super group, membership is currently only a few founding members. However, we are looking for more players who enjoy the Warhammer 40K theme and universe to help us build the super group. Active play times vary by day and work schedule; nevertheless members are active in-game daily.

Requirements for Membership: The only requirement is that your character fit into the Warhammer 40K theme and have a back story explaining any unusual abilities they possess (i.e. no heretics, aliens, mutants (as it relates to WH40k, not the CoH origin type))

Leadership: Reinmar, Caecillius

In-Game Contact(s): @Reinmar

Out-of-Game Contact(s): (CoX Forum handle for PMs) Reinmar

URL: the group's website: www.legionis.net

Coalition(s): Not currently in a coalition but open to one if it fits with our Warhammer 40K theme.

Other Details: The Warhammer 40K universe offers an amazing amount of depth and potential for character development and roleplay. The Imperium of Man is a super group that is as open as you want it to be set in that universe. Any background is viable for you character insomuch that they fit within the Imperial forces. Hulking, armor-clad Space Marines of any chapter; haggard veteran Imperial Guard soldiers, officers, or commissars; pious and holy Sisters of Battle; stealthy and deadly Imperial assassins; Imperial Inquisitors hunting and destroying the enemies of the Emperor, both within and outside of the Imperium. The sky is the limit; design a character that fits one of these backgrounds or create one all your own. We can’t wait to see what you come up with.

Name: Wolfen Legion
(motto: Live and Die for the Pack!)

Currently Recruiting: Accepting new members of all origins (please have a valid reason why your character is a Science or Technology origin), archetypes, and levels.

RP Level: We try to keep most chat in the SG channel IC and use an OOC channel for other chat. However, we are not RP-intensive and some of our members do not RP at all.

Theme/Concept: The Wolfen Legion is made up of a race of bipedal, humanoid wolves (Wolfen) from another plane of existence. They fled to this world centuries ago to avoid destruction at the hands of a demonic entity known as Necrom the Undying. Since that time, the generations of Wolfen have lived in the shadows of this world and carried on their fight against evil (which they view as Necrom’s hordes or his demonic influences upon this world).

The SG is a themed group and requires that members create their character in the following manner:

Color, Height and Body Size are completely up to you. However, most members have chosen to be “Huge” body type to represent the massive nature of Wolfen.

1. You must choose a Monstrous Head. Most members have gone with Beast 2, (please no Beast 6).

2. You must choose Monstrous: Hands (hairy), Monstrous: Legs (most go with hairy, but other non-tech options are okay), and Monstrous Claws: Feet (hairy).

Some members have chosen Monstrous Hairy for Chest and others have chosen some sort of armor, it’s up to you and how you want to depict your character.

3. Finally, you must have the word “Wolf” as the second part of your name. (For example, Platinum Wolf, Ice Wolf, Silver Wolf, etc.)

With the larger population base on Virtue, it has become difficult to find good two part names for Wolfen characters. Therefore, some members have went with three word names ending in Wolf; while others have used words in other languages (Spanish, German, etc.) to find an acceptable Wolf name.

Activity: We recently moved the SG from Protector to Virtue. As such, we are actively rebuilding our numbers. Most, if not all, of our current membership are in-game on a daily basis. Furthermore, we schedule SG events (pack hunts (mission & sewer runs), pit fights (SG arena matches), etc.) multiple times per week.

Requirements for Membership: Other than the basic build requirements, all we ask of our members is to be friendly and have a great time playing. If any assistance is needed just ask (in-game or via the SG forums) and a friendly and helpful Wolfen brother or sister will be to your assistance ASAP.

Leadership: Platinum Wolf (Alpha), Krieg Wolf (Council Elder)

In-Game Contact(s): @Ryzix (Platinum), @Rex Havok (Krieg)

Out-of-Game Contact(s): (CoX forum ID’s) PhoenixRZ, Rex_Havok

URL: Wolfen Legion

Coalition(s): None at this time. However, there are plans (membership numbers allowing) of creating various tribes of Wolfen (as described on the Wolfen History Page) and having them all in one Coalition. But this will be at a much later date.

Other Details: Our Den (base) is under construction and should be finished in the near future. The Wolfen Legion membership covers a vast range of levels and while primarily located inside the United States, has members in all the time zones, ensuring that there are pack brother and sisters on at almost all times. Please take a moment to read the Wolfen History and some of the Wolfen Background Stories and it will help you create a background for your Wolfen character.

Well after a smart[censored] post like that, The Storm Korps needed a bump over it.

What if the unthinkable had happened? What if after years of conflict, involving almost all the nations of the world, we had lost? What if the bad guys had won? World War II showed us the highest to which human valor can soar, it also showed us how low man come sink when we wages war upon his fellow man. Estimates for the total casualties of the war vary, but most suggest that some 60 million people died in the war, including about 20 million soldiers and 40 million civilians. But what if things had gone differently? What if instead of an allied victory (May 8th, 1945 in Europe and August 15, 1945 in the Pacific), the axis powers had done the unthinkable….what if they won? That is the premise of the Villain Group, The Storm Korps, on the Victory server. In a parallel world, the unthinkable did happen.

“Early on the morning of May 22, 1943, huge mushroom clouds rose above New York and London. The devastation and loss of life was tremendous. These attacks were two V4 atomic missiles, launched from deep within the Fatherland and served to break the enemy’s fighting spirit. Immediately after the missiles struck, coordinated attacks by the 5th Column troops inside the United States of America and by the Storm Korps inside the British Isles, compounded the damage. Only fear, despair and remorse survived in these defeated nations. The enemy 1st Hero Brigade attempted to counterattack the German forces; however, the valiant Super Soldiers of the Fatherland, along with the heroes of the Storm Korps led by The Reichsman, defeated the enemy resistance. By the end of 1943, the War of Unification was over and the enemy powers unconditionally surrendered to the combined forces of Germany and the Empire of Nippon. Germany took control of all of the territories of Europe, North and South America, Africa and the Middle East. The Empire of Nippon gained all the Pacific islands, China, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and India.”

In the CoH official timeline, Dr. Brian Webb, a Freedom Phalanx technician, was involved in the investigation of a suspected drug lab that in truth was a high-tech, research facility. This facility was studying the radical alterations that occurred in the brains of approximately 1% of the people addicted to the Supes drug. These victims gained the ability to see, and even travel to other dimensions. It was Statesman who decided that humanity should not profit from suffering of this sort and swore the entire team to secrecy about the discovery. However, Dr. Webb, four years later, in 1988, was able to recreate an inter-dimensional portal without the use of the Supes drug or unwilling test subjects. Thus was the birth of Portal Corp. Statesman expressed deep regret that Dr. Webb had used the Supes research despite his desires. Nevertheless, knowing how important first contact with other worlds could be, the Freedom Phalanx began sending its members along with Dr. Webb and his exploration teams. It was on one such exploration that disaster struck.

“In 1988, several unidentified subjects were apprehended by a Kriegerstaffel unit and transported to an interrogation camp for debriefing. During the interview, it was determined that these subjects have traveled, using an unknown technology, from a parallel dimension. Furthermore, it was discovered that in this dimension the combined forces of the United States of America, the English, and the Russians defeated Germany. Tragically, the subjects were killed while attempting to escape, but not before our valiant interviewers were able to extract a great deal of data about the interloper’s home dimension. Quickly, calls for assistance were placed to the Earth’s greatest superhero, The Reichsman. The next day The Reichsman and his elite super powered hero group, Amerika Korps, entered the portal and vanished from our world forever. After repeated attempts to contact the explorers failed, and a follow up rescue mission likewise vanished, the Wehrmacht determined that the shimmering portal of light was a danger to the safety and security of Reich. A special unit of Shutzstaffel Panzers was assigned to provide security around the portal and to prevent any further incursions into our world.”

The Reichsman, the parallel world’s version of the hero Statesman, and his super powered Amerika Korps, invaded our world. The ensuing battle raged through the Portal Corp laboratories and spilled into the city streets. While Statesman and the Reichsman battled one another to a standstill; the Freedom Phalanx was able to defeat the Amerika Korps. With his henchman defeated, the Reichsman was overcome by the combined forces of the Freedom Phalanx and placed in suspended animation; where he remains to this day, frozen deep within the Freedom Phalanx’s main headquarters. However, on the parallel world, other actions were taking place.

“Since that day, the Reichschancellor decreed that a special unit of the military would be created and trained to enter the portal with the purpose of locating and rescuing The Reichsman and the Amerika Korps. Using technology, genetic manipulation and the liberal use of the Super Soldier serum, a new group of super heroes was created. This new unit was named The Storm Korps, in a show of respect to the valiant super heroes and their brave struggle during the War of Unification. For over twenty years, the new heroes of The Storm Korps trained and prepared for their entry into this new and hostile world. Their purpose is to locate and rescue The Reichsman and the members of the Amerika Korps. Furthermore, they are to provide reconnaissance for the potential invasion of the glorious forces of the Reich.”

We are that special military unit, The Storm Korps. We are charged with leading the way for the forces that will travel behind us through the portal. In addition to the men and women who traveled with us, we will also seek allies among the local populace. To that end we are looking for more soldiers to fill our ranks.

If you would like to join us, we would love to have you in the villain group. While we are patterned after the 5th Column, this is not a themed VG and does not require any special names or costumes. Your character design and background are totally up to you. We have a website (please use the link in my signature) and will begin construction on our base very soon. Our ranks are very light at the moment, mainly just a few friends, so we have lots of room for new friends to join. We would love to have you with us and look forward to teaming with you in the Rogue Isles.

One last thing, it is important to note the following:

History has allowed us to be witness to the horror and heinous crimes of Nazi Germany. To those of us who have studied that history, learned of it through the words of our relatives and loved ones, or worst of all lived through those dark days, it remains one of the most evil periods of mankind’s history. In the creation of this villain group, in our attempt at creating a vision of this alternate world, it was and is necessary to portray the SS and further atrocities committed by the Third Reich. In examining this creation it is important to understand that it is simply a work of dark science fiction in the same genre as Brave New World, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, etc. We are neither racist, nor anti-Semitic, and it is not our intention to encourage those feelings in others. The games City of Heroes / Villains are works of fiction; furthermore, The Storm Korps are a fictitious creation and do not represent any existing organization or group.